Ukrainian takes record for tallest man in the US

A man originally from the Ukraine, Igor Vovkovinskiy, has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the tallest man in the United States.

Igor Vovkovinskiy at a Barack Obama speech in 2009: yes, he definitely is quite tall

The Guinness World Record Association measured Vovkovinskiy at 7 feet 8.33 inches (234.5 centimeters) tall on Monday. It being America, naturally they did it on television, during NBC’s ‘The Dr. Oz Show’.

Minnesota resident Vovkovinskiy edged out his slightly less tall competition, George Bell -a sheriff’s deputy from Norfolk, Virginia – by a third of an inch.

27-year-old Vovkovinskiy was born in Ukraine, but moved to Minnesota with his mother when he was 7 years old seeking treatment at the Mayo Clinic for a pituitary disease that contributed to his rapid growth.

Vovkovinskiy now attends the Minnesota School of Business and is pursuing a degree in paralegal studies. He gained some fame during the US presidential elections in 2008, when he was seen at Barack Obama rallies in a ‘World’s biggest Obama supporter’ t-shirt – even ending up meeting Michelle Obama.

While Vovkovinskiy is pretty tall by anybody’s standards, he’d still have to grow a bit to match the world’s tallest man – who, Guinness say, is Turkey’s Sultan Kosen, who measures an impressive 8 feet, 1 inch tall (243.8 centimeters).